Background: Early squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and early adenocarcinoma (AC) of the esophagus are potentially curable diseases. The crucial point in treatment is that the depth of tumor infiltration into the mucosal and submucosal layers is correlated with the rate of nodal metastases and therefore with long-term prognosis.
Methods and focus: In submucosal SCC with a high rate of nodal metastases curative resection can be achieved only by radical esophagectomy with systematic lymphadenectomy, which remains the treatment of choice for this tumor entity. In submucosal AC the Merendino procedure may offer an alternative since lymphatic invasion occurs at a later stage than in SCC, and locoregional lymph nodes can be adequately resected. Major advantages of this operation over radical esophagectomy include the complete resection of the entire Barrett segment and the lower postoperative morbidity and mortality. Vagal-sparing esophagectomy still lacks adequate oncological evaluation for it to be recommended except in stage I a tumors. For mucosal SCC and AC endoscopic mucosal resection is the treatment of choice but requires intensive follow-up since the rate of complete resections is lower than in limited and radical surgical procedures. On the other hand, a low postoperative morbidity and the functional integrity of the tubular esophagus support the use of endoscopic mucosal resection for mucosal cancer.